Courage The Cowardly Dog: How It All Came To Be
by Iris Amelia
Summary: Heylo again! I revised the story a bit and edited a few "unfinished lines", typos, and added lil extra lines, for description or somethin'. People like this, huh? XD R+R for those who haven't read this!


"Courage The Cowardly Dog: How It Came To Be"  
  
DiScLaImEr: I don't own Courage. I don't own Muriel. I never want to own Eustace. Don't sue me, Dilworth!  
  
PLEASE!  
  
  
  
The dreadful day had returned...Courage hated it because he knew it was necessary...soemtimes. Eustace hated it because it was expensive. Muriel knew that it was necessary, but Courage...Courage begged to differ. It was time...  
  
...for a check-up. Courage had an appointment...with the Vet.  
  
"Oh, Courage, no need to worry...you'll be fine. It's just a little check-up."  
  
Courage whimpered as he was placed onto the table. He sat up and started to shake, petrified.  
  
"Stupid Dog, afraid of a little shot." Eustace laughed, unfolding his newspaper.  
  
"Ooh.." Courage whined, trying to take off his leashed collar.  
  
"Never mind Eustace, Courage, I'm right here. Everything will be okay."  
  
The vet walked into the room. It was Dr. Vindaloo, the...eccentric doctor. "Ooh yes, very good now. Courage, I see. Here for your check-up?" he asked, with his Indian accent high.  
  
Courage nodded, whimpering. Muriel nodded with him, reassuringly. Eustace just read his newspaper, grumbling.  
  
Dr. Vindaloo held up a clipboard, reading over Courage's information. You know, weight, height, occupation. Dr. Vindaloo blinked, then smiled. "I'm happy to tell you that...Courage will be having a puppy!!"  
  
Eustace and Muriel stood up and exclaimed, "What?!"  
  
"Oops, oops, sorry. Wrong page. Heh heh." Dr. Vindaloo flipped the page over the clipboard's edge. He looked over his weight growth. "Hmm...seems to be doing fine. Just fine. You know...hmm...I have question..." He took out a stethascope and listened to Courage's heart beat.  
  
"Is it about a condition or something, Doctor?" Muriel asked worriedly. Courage whimpered, feeling the cold metal touch his purple fur.  
  
"Oh, no no no no no. It's just about...Courage. How did you get that name?"  
  
"Ooh?" Courage looked up at the doctor.  
  
"You mean, why did we name Courage, 'Courage'?" asked Muriel.  
  
"Precisely," replied Dr. Vindaloo.  
  
"Oh...well...it was a long time ago," Muriel said, picking up Courage and placing him on her lap. Courage sighed in relief. "May I begin?"  
  
"Of course! But..mind you, my golf match starts in thirty."  
  
"Well, then I'll get started..." Muriel stroked Courage's fur, and began to tell her tale.....  
  
'Courage was a small puppy...a very small puppy. He was all alone with no home...no where to go...'  
  
  
  
In a dark alley, a little purple puppy sat by a garbage can, with a white diaper clipped together with a safety pin. It shivered reluctantly, since it was so cold, and he had no fire. Its eyes drooped, tired from finding food, and being attacked by stray alley cats. The puppy whimpered, but knew this was just the same way he spent all of his other days...alone.  
  
"Ooh..." the puppy whimpered. It only knew how to yelp and whimper. It was so cold...  
  
Down the sidewalk, a man and a woman were visiting the city. She was a young woman, but a bit plump. The man had a hat on, with some overalls, but wore a coat over it. He was grumbling under his breath.  
  
"I'm hungry, Muriel," the man said.  
  
"So am I...Eustace, why don't you go to that hot-dog stand?" replied the woman. "I'll wait here."  
  
"Bahh, fine. They better have foot-longs...sausages...chili..." The man walked toward the stand on the corner.  
  
Muriel sighed, then leaned onto the wall. The small purple puppy yelped, seeing her shadow. It staggered back, bumping into the trash can. The can fell over, causing a small crash. The puppy whimpered again, looking around the trash heap. Muriel heard the crash, then walked down the sidewalk, and turned into the alley. There she found the small purple puppy, and upon his head, a sticky little banana peel.  
  
"Oh my!" Muriel exclaimed. "A poor little dog. It looks so helpless." Muriel approached the puppy carefully, not wanting to startle it. "Hello there. Are you all right?"  
  
The puppy, who had closed his eyes in fear, opened one of his eyes and saw the woman, plump and cheery.  
  
"I won't hurt you, little one," assured Muriel. "Are you all right?"  
  
The puppy whimpered, then lowered its arms. It nodded half-heartedly.  
  
"I'm Muriel," said the woman. "You poor, poor dear. You look lonely and cold. Come here." The puppy blinked and approached the woman. She took off her shawl and wrapped it around the puppy, and smiled. "There you go! You'll be warmed up in no time."  
  
The purple puppy was very happy. He hadn't felt warmth in a while. He whimpered happily.  
  
"Now, you stay in here-"  
  
"Muriel! Where are ya? I got you a hot-dog!" Eustace called.  
  
"Oh my! I better hide you!" Muriel stretched her shawl over the puppy's face, and ran out of the alley. "Eustace!"  
  
"There you are! Making me look for you--here." He handed her a hot- dog, but also handed her a perplexed look. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the buldging shawl.  
  
"It's the shawl...I wrapped it up."  
  
"Blah, blah, blah. We're going home now, Muriel," he said, biting into his hot-dog. "Let's go."  
  
"Coming, Eustace," Muriel said, sighing, walking behind him. She quietly broke the hot-dog in half, then the stuck the half into a small opening in the shawl. The puppy immediately smelled the hot mustard, and found his way toward the hot-dog. It ate with such delight, making sure he didn't stain Muriel's shawl.  
  
The purple puppy crossed his paws, hoping he still made a good decision to come along with the plump stranger.  
  
  
  
'Now, Courage was very young at the time. And...'  
  
'Eustace didn't know about 'im!' the farmer interrupted.  
  
'Yes, well, that was a problem...when he found Courage....'  
  
"What?! What's this?!" Eustace exclaimed pointing at the purple puppy. "What on earth is this thing?!"  
  
"Oh, Eustace-I-I found him in an alley. He was so adorable. I...I think he was abandoned. I had to bring him-"  
  
"No dog is going to stay in this house, Muriel! It looks stupid to me...yeah...Stupid Dog," Eustace said.  
  
The purple puppy winced at his new name. Stupid Dog. He looked up at Eustace and Muriel sadly.  
  
"He needs a place to stay. He's a good dog, aren't you?"  
  
The puppy nodded solemnly.  
  
"He ain't staying here! He leaves tomorrow! Stupid Dog in this stupid house...don't bring any more animals in, Muriel, this isn't a zoo!"  
  
"Oh, Eustace, we could use this dog..."  
  
Eustace grumbled. "F-fine. But THAT DOG isn't getting ANY comfort from ME." He stormed into the kitchen.  
  
Muriel picked up the puppy and sighed. She pat his head. "Don't mind him, little one. I still love you."  
  
The puppy smiled a little, then nuzzled the woman's cheek.  
  
When everyone was asleep, the little puppy stayed awake, sitting at the end of the couple's bed. Muriel and Eustace were already asleep...the puppy sighed.  
  
"Ooh..." He knelt down and placed his head on his paws. He sadly blinked, staring at the wall.  
  
Suddenly, there was a small rickety sound downstairs. The puppy looked up and looked around. Muriel was asleep, and Eustace was grumbling as he slept. Not wanting to wake up the two, the purple pup decided to go out and investigate.  
  
He trotted down the stairs, then saw a long...scaly...bumpy...spotted...probably poisonous...mean-looking snake, coiled around the sofa. The little dog gasped, which caught the snake's attention.  
  
"Well...well...well...lookssss...like...dinner!"  
  
The little dog howled, then ran out the door. The snake chortled, eating a lamp.  
  
The little dog ran around the house and to the side. He found the doors leading toward the cellar. He flung them open and ran in. the pooch looked around at the dusty ceiling, made out of a dirt, then got an idea. He shut the doors and sighed, then sprang up. He clutched the solitary lightbulb, then started to dig through the weak ceiling.  
  
"Ssss...this is dee-licious," said the snake, chomping on a cabinet, holding fine china. He laughed as he chewed on its leg.  
  
The dog finally reached concrete. He took out a blowtorch, then melted out a small hole in the ceiling. With a smile, he jumped down from the lightbulb, then scampered toward a pipe. He picked up wrench and started to whack it vigorously, yelping at each hit. The pipe started to leak and after a final blow--  
  
BANG!! Pshhh!!  
  
Water started to rush into the cellar. The dog howled as he was toppled over, becoming overcome by the water. The cellar started to flood, and the puppy was underwater. Suddenly, the water flowed through the hole. The snake looked up from its wooden meal and gasped. "What the-?!"  
  
The water quickly rushed through the hole, flipping the snake onto its back. The snake flowed out the door, and into the desert. The furniture was soaked, and the snake was, well, irritated.  
  
"Argh...no good dog...I'm eating somewhere else." He plopped onto the sand, moaning. "In...a second..."  
  
Muriel and Eustace by now got up and ran downstairs. "Oh my goodness! Look at this mess!"  
  
"Agh, it was that Stupid Dog! He caused this!" cried Eustace angrily.  
  
"Oh dear! Look at that snake!" Muriel said, pointing at the door. "I hope that puppy's all right, oh where are you, dear?"  
  
The puppy floated out of the hole, and right by Muriel's feet. The body was lifeless.  
  
"Oh, my! My dear doggy, are you all right?" She picked up the puppy and moaned worriedly. "Oh, speak to me, doggy! Please wake up!" Muriel rubbed the dog's purple fur when suddenly:  
  
The puppy started to cough. He looked up at Muriel and smiled a little. "Ooh?"  
  
"You're awake! Did you get that snake out there?"  
  
The purple puppy nodded.  
  
"Oh, my dear-! You saved us! You will be definitely staying here!"  
  
Eustace scoffed. "Bahh, well if he is, then give it a name. I'm not gonna do it."  
  
"Well, before I do, Eustace...isn't there something you want to say?" Muriel asked.  
  
"Bah, well...thank you, you...dog." Eustace grumbled, folding his arms.  
  
"For your good deed...I'll name you...Courage. Courage!"  
  
"Pfft...Courage...you should have named it Eustace the Second."  
  
Courage looked up at Muriel and smiled. He knew he was meant to be with her and also, strangely, the farmer....  
  
"And that's why we named Courage, 'Courage'," Muriel finished.  
  
"Ah...so I see, so I see," Dr. Vindaloo replied. "Well, time for your shot, Courage!"  
  
Courage screamed and leaped out of Muriel's arms, and ran out the door.  
  
"Hm. What's his problem?"  
  
"OOH!!" Courage bawled, running toward his home.  
  
  
  
**Courage Bows**  
  
T H E E N D  
  
Well? Whaddaya think? R+R - J-R  
  
*A*U*T*H*O*R'*S N*O*T*E*(People like this one, eh? (= I'm open for more ideas!! For any cartoon! So go on, R+R!) 


End file.
